Tone regulator for phonographs



. 1,617,158 2 H. K. HEss' TONE REGULATOR FOR PHONOGRAPHS Filed Jan. 4. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR.

A TTORNEXG Feb. 8 192 7 H. K. HESS TONS REGULATOR FOR Pnbuoamrus FiledJan. 4. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. W 7 BY A TTORNEYS v 50 have hem hown myiton'e regulator as Patented Feb. 8, 1927.

, 1,617,158 PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY "1K. 'HES S, F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

j Tear. amour-Arron FOR rn'onoonmrns.

-np ncatmn filed January 4, 1924. Serial No. 684,442.

The invention relates'ito phonogra-phs-and has-for its object a particularly simple and eflici'ent tone regulator which is readily applied to theistandard phonograph and which is'highly eflicient in use.

.The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and construc tions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, referenceis had to the accompanying drawings :in whieh like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

- Figure '1 isa fragmentary plan view of a phonograph partly insection and parts being omitted, showing one adaptation of my tone regulator and the means for operating'it.

' -Fig'ure'2 is a fragmentary, sectional-view fof aphonograph.

I Figures 3 and 4 aresectionalview'staken respectively on lines 3- 3 and 44, Fig. '1. 1 Figure 5fisa'view "similar to the view in Fi 2, of another form of actuating means. I 1 igure 6 is a diagrammatic view of parts seen in Fig. 5. p

- Figure 7 is a longitudinal detail "view taken on line 7"7,' Fig. fIn phonographs, the rendering of the music is more or 'less mechanical and tone regulators or mechanical means for giving -expression totl1e music all produce more or less monotonous repetitious effect. One of the objectsof my tone regulator is to avoid such monotonous repetitious effect, although in my ph'onograph the expressions are necessarily repeated, the audience is unconscious of such repetition and the technicaleifect on I thejaudience is practic'ally the same as'that produced by-a skilled musician.

- Another'object is a construction by which the tone regulator can :be applied to the phonograph without rebuilding the phonograph and by which'it can be actuated either from the motor of the phonograph or'f rom an additional m'otor,"which is wound durac'tuates the turn table, it being desirable'to use such additionalmotor so :as not to interfere with the action and turning of the'main motor'on the turntable.

applied to a phonograph comprising the usual cabinet having "a board or support 2 for theturnitalile 3 mounted above the supor ia Ion a shaft 1,which extends vertically through the "s p-p n) 2"and "wh ch is h drivenshaft of the usual motor 5 supported by the board 2 on the under side thereof, the amplifier of horn 6 arranged in the lower part of the cabinet and having an upwardly extending throat 7 opening through the board 2, anda swinging tone arm 8 havmg its passage alined with thethroat- 7 and together therewith forming a sound passage,-the tone arm carrying the usual reproducer-9 and needle 10.

The tone regulator comprises a member niovableitransversely of the sound passage 7, and having spaced apart openings, one of these openings being small in orderto register butmomentarily with the throat 7 or the soundpassage and the other being elongated in order to give a rising crescendo effect when registering for alonger :period with the throat 7. Such :member is preferably a disk ll'mounted above theboard 2 and movable transversely through 'the sound passage between the end of the tone arm and the'upper endof the throat 7, this disk having a relatively small opening 12' and a larger opening 13 on opposite-sides of-the center of the disk. The disk is carried by a bridge plate 14, having feet 15 mounted on the support 2 at one side of the turn table 3 and formed with an arc shaped cutout for receiving a portion of the turn table.

'Ihe'disk 1 1 318 supported from this plate, it being mounted upon a bearing 16 hav ng an annular flange 17 "underlying the disk, the bearing being secured to the .plate by a screw '18, extending from the disk from the upper side thereof and threading into the bearing. The disk is preferably covered or formed of a fabric material which is none vibratable.

The 'tone arm is swiveled to a suitable base piece 19, which is secured tothe bridge plate 14 in any suitable manner as by screws 20 extending'through a flange on the base piece 19 into holes 21in the plate 14;.

Owing 'to the-arrangement of the disk, a portion thereof passes under the turn table, and the disk is concealed by the turn table and the bridge. The means for actuating the' diskisalso locatedunder the turn table and comprises a member having a "wheel 22 and a pulley 23 arranged concentric with the wheel, thismember being carried by a support for shifting'it into and out of engage ment with the driver to be presently Idescribed and the pulley is connected to the diskll by a belt 2 4i passing over the pulley 23 and around the periphery of the disk, the pulley and the disk being suitably shaped to receive the belt. This belt is preferably elastic to compensate for any unevenness or eccentricities in the driver and the wheel 22, and also, to permit the shifting ofthe wheel 22 into and out of engagement with the driver. The carrier for the combined wheel and pulley as here shown, is a lever 25 pivoted between its ends 26 to the support 2, one arm of the lever carrying an axle 27 on which the combined wheel and pulley is mounted and the other arm serving as a handle, the lever being arranged beneath the turn table and the handle thereof extending beyond the edge of the turn table. The lever is held in its out position, that is, .the position assumed when the wheel 22 is disengaged from the driver by suitable friction means here shown as a metal strap 28 folded upon itself looped around the lever 25 and secured at its ends at 29 to the board 2. WVhen the handle is shifted to its out position, it enters between the lapping end portions of the strap 29 and is held by the pinching of such end portions in its out position. In Figure 1, the driver for the wheel 22 is the shaft 4 or the hub 30 on the turn table mounted on such shaft. Obviously, when the handle 25 is in its position shown in Fig. 1, the wheel 22 will be rotated and hence the disk 11 rotated through the pulley 23 and the belt 24, and when the handle 25 is shifted upwardly in Fig. 1, the wheel 22 will be shifted out of engagement with the driver and the handle heldin its shifted position by reason of the friction between such lever-and the lapping end portions of the loop or strap 28, the belt 24 stretching during the shifting out of the wheel 22.

In order to prevent interference with the operation and speed of the main motor of the phonograph by placing additional work thereon, in some cases it is preferable to use an additional motor to run the tone regulator. In'Fig. 5, an additional motor 31 is shown having a shaft or driver 32 extending through the support 2 and engaging the periphery of a wheel 33 corresponding to the wheel 22, this wheel 33 being formed with a pulley 34 over which runs the elastic belt 35 which also runs around the tone regu-v lating disk. The wheel is shifted into and out of engagement with its driver 32 in the same manner as with its wheel 22 shown in Fig. 1.

In order to dispensewith the winding of both motors separately means is provided by which both motors are wound simultaneously, this means consisting of a belt 36 running over wheels 37, 38, on the winding stems 39, 40, of the motors 5 and 31. In order that the winding stem 39 may continue to be Wound after the motor 31 has been wound up, a slip or friction connection between the pulley 38 and the winding stem 40 of the motor 31 is provided, this being shown as a spring pressed friction disk 41 keyed at 42 to this winding stem 40 yieldable and shiftable axially thereof against its spring 43, the friction disk coacting with the friction face on one side of the wheel 38 and the wheel 38 also having a friction face 44 on its opposite sides coacting with a friction disk 45 keyed at 46 to the winding stem 40. When the motor 31 is wound up, continued winding of the motor 35 will overcome the friction between the disks 41 and 44 and the wheel 38 permitting the wheel 38 to rotate idly.

This. tone regulator consists of a few parts which can be readily applied to standard phonographs and owing to the arrangen'ient of the passages in the regulator 11, the monotonous repetitious effect of the expression is eliminated and the execution of skilled musicians imitated to a high degree.

I'Vhat I claim is:

1. In a phonograph, the combination of a stationary table sound passage, a turn table movable above the stationary table, a tone regulator, comprising a disk arranged so that a portion thereof moves under the turn table between the stationary and theturn tables, the disk passing through the sound passage, and having openings therethrough movable into and out of register with. said passage, means for actuating the disk, comprising a drive pulley, a belt running over the pulley of the disk, the pulley being located under the turn table, and the belt being of elastic material, a driver for the pulley, and means for shifting the pulley out of and into connection with the driver, the belt stretching and retracting during such operation.

2. In a phonograph, a supporting table, a turn table rotatable above the table, an amplifier having its throat extending through the support, a bridge plate mounted on the support at one side of the turn table, and having a passage in line with the throat,

a-swinging tone arm mounted on the plate with its passage alined with the passage through the plate, a tone regulator, comprising a disk having a portion passing under the bridge and under the turn table, the disk having openings therethrough arranged to come into and out of register with the throat and the tone arm, and means for actuating the disk during the operation of the phonograph.

3. In a phonograph, a support, a turn table rotatable above the table, an amplifier having its throat extending through the support, a bridge plate mounted on the support at one side of the turn-table, and having a passage in line with the throat, a swinging tone arm mounted on said plate with its passage alined with the passage through the plate, a tone regulator, comprising a disk having a portion passing under the bridge and under the turn-table, the disk having openings therethrough arranged to come into and out of register with the throat and the tone arm, and means for actuating the disk,

table rotatable above the table, an amplifier during the operation of the phonograph, said means comprising a shiftable carrier arranged beneath the plane of the turn-table, a pulley and a drive wheel mounted on the carrier, a belt running over the pulley and the disk, and a driver for engaging the wheel. Y

4. In a phonograph, a support, a turn havingits throat extending through the support, a bridge plate mounted on the support at one side of the turn-table, and having a passage inline with the throat, a

swinging tone arm mounted on said plate with its passage alined With the passage through the plate, a tone) regulator, comprising a disk having a portion passing under the bridge and under the turn-table, the disk having openings therethrough arranged to come into and out of register with the throat and the tone arm, and means for actuating the disk, during the operation of the hono ra h said'means com risin a shiftable carrier arranged beneath the plane of the turn-table, a pulley and a drive wheel mounted on the carrier, a belt running over i the pulley and the disk, and a driver for engaging the wheel, the belt being formed of elastic material.

5. In a phonograph, the combination of a support, a turn-table mounted on the support, an amplifier having a throat opening through the support, abridge plate mounted on the support and having an opening in line with said throat, a swinging tone arm mount- .ed on the plate with its passage in line with the passage of the plate and a tone regulator supported by the plate between said plate andi the support, the tone regulator being movable transversely across the passage of line with the passage of the plate and a tone regulator being movable transversely across the passage of the plate, and means for actuating the tone regulator comprising a concentric wheel and pulley, and an elastic belt passing over the pulley and connected to the regulator and a driving member coacting with the wheel.

7. In a phonograph, the combination of a support, a turn-table mounted on the support, an amplifier having a throat opening through the support, a bridge plate mounted on the support and having an opening in line with said throat, a swinging tone arm mounted on the plate with its passage in line with the passage of the plate and a tone regulator supported by the plate between said plate and the support, the tone regulator being movable transversely across the passage of the plate, and means for actuating the tone regulator comprising a concentric wheel and pulley, an elastic belt passing over the pulley and connected to the regulator, and a carrier for the wheel and pulley, the carrier being movable to shift the wheel toward and from the driver.

8. In a phonograph, the combination of a turn-table and a motor for actuating same, a sound passage, a movable tone regulator movable transversely of the sound passage, means for actuating the tone regulator including a motor, winding stems for the motors, means for actuating one of said stems and connections between the winding stems whereby both motors are wound by one operation.

9. In a phonograph, the combination of a turn-table and a motor for actuating same, a sound passage, a movable toneregulator movable transversely of the sound passage, means for actuating the tone regulator including a motor, winding stems for the motors, means for actuating one of said stems and connections between the winding stems whereby both motors are Wound by one operation, said connections including releasable friction means for permitting continued winding of one motor after the other is wound out.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, this 22nd day of December, 1923.

HENRY K. HESS. 

